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Ocean City MD gem is the beach I grew up giddy over. 🤸♀️
It was a summer teen getaway from suburban life malls (…rough life, I know).
The landmarks are an amusement park, beach, and Fun Island hangout spots where caramel popcorn, funnel cake, and malt-vinegar french fries mixed scents linger in the boardwalk air. 🍿It’s an easy drive past the Bay Bridge on 50 East… and then you’re there! From Northern Virginia, it’s a 4-hour drive.
And as I grew older, I discovered there are much nicer beaches with seashells (aka blue-green water and sugar-fine sand 😊)…
But Ocean City MD is still one of the most happening beaches on the East Coast… and still always in my heart. ⛱️
It’s a great affordable vacation place to create memories… like I did where the older ones are in fuzzy memory photos (not like these). 😊
Ocean City, MD is a great choice ⛱️ if you’re on a limited budget because you can drive to the beach without hassle AND there’s so much innocent putt-putt arcade entertainment for everyone… that’s retro-cheesy suitable for the beach setting, but maybe not back home. 😁 …and it’s still a great place to fly a kite. 🪁We got the same rainbow octopus tentacle kite each year or tossed a frisbee for no-frills fun.
People flock there from all-over the northeast even though there’s a closer Ocean City, NJ beach to them… so there must be something special about the fun Maryland beach and nearby Delaware beaches.
There’s something enjoyable for everyone. You can simply marvel over the outdoor sand art scene or on the iconic white wooden benches you can flip the back around to timelessly enjoy the ocean or people watch.
But as I entered my 30s, my tastes had refined… so I found this hidden gem hotel, Coconut Malorie’s, that’s on the quieter bay side (away from the busy lights and sounds, and riff-raff boardwalk areas of the beach town).
With age, you get wisdom and can easily switch standards back and forth from good ‘ol American beach fun, and adventurous Agadir or Cinque Terre azure blue ocean and mountainous beach terrains. It’s like neon-lit Vegas versus demure Paris. It’s all good in the contentment of life! 🥂
At any beach, everyone is more carefree and has sand in their toes that helps to make life lighter. 🩴 You forgive the wet bathing suits and flip flops eating outside enjoying crabs and lobster bites that bond our experience with other vacation-goers.
When you had enough beach entertainment, you get to drive back to your relaxing hotel. And at the Malorie, you drive back to the cute outlined cut-out windows that BTW have made a comeback in HGTV home trends. You reflect on how far you’ve come staying in a cute modern doll house.
And at the Malorie, you can enjoy a lovely Juliette balcony with French Doors and a cool view of the bay to appreciate even more how far you’ve come.
If you want to feel grown up or in your own tropical oasis with bay views, a nice pool, and your own refrigerator (critical for beach living!)… plus, warm beachy sand pastel vibes, then this could be your place at least for a temporary stay.
One of the best times to visit Ocean City MD is over Labor Day weekend when you catch the last few days (but not the last rays ☀️)of summer and enjoy the tail-end of famous Maryland crabs doused with Old Bay. 🦀
And if you’re with the kiddos (or someone else’s kiddos), take them to the Carousel Hotel that’s kid-friendly. The hotel is a local tradition (where weddings still take place) and overnight offers include breakfast, free cancellation and built-in entertainment options.
I remember the days when we would go by in the winter and this hotel was one of the still-open spots with a year-round public ice skating rink! ⛸️… plus outdoor/indoor pools, table tennis, and game room.
And having worked in restaurants in the summer Ocean City MD gem during college summer breaks as a getaway from the city (Washington DC), I got a new appreciation for fresh see-food year-round.
And on bayside up Coastal Highway (the main drag) is a hidden food-ier experience. 🍽️ : The Hobbit Restaurant… yes, named after The Hobbit (pre-Lord of the Rings) fantastical trilogy by Peter Jackson. This could be your new destination.
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